Wanna Hold Your Hand
by ryoku1
Summary: Prompt was: i need leonardo regularly visiting the charity shop where edward works just so he can see him (edward knows about the cute blonde guy who looks at him every so often from behind clothing racks but theyve never had the confidence to talk to one another)


He was _not_ a stalker.

He didn't follow the brunet around, didn't know where he lived, didn't even know his name. But Leonardo did know that the brunet was the only one in the shop that didn't wear a name tag -because he kept forgetting it, and then just outright lost it- and worked Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays and occasionally Saturdays, at the charity shop on the corner of 5th and 32nd street. His schedule flip flopped, so it took some luck and careful observation to know if he would be working that day; namely, it meant keeping an eye out on his bus ride home to see if the brunet's old beat up truck, with the pealing red paint and the hodge podge of junk in the bed, was in the parking lot, and immediately pulling the string so that the bus stopped at the nearest station.

Leonardo would get off of the bus -the bus driver had started giving him this odd look, because she knew that wasn't his stop- and casually walk over to the charity shop. He always looked as cool and composed as could be, but anyone who might have been paying attention, would have noticed how tightly he gripped the strap of his messenger bag, as the little bell at the top of the door chimed when he walked in.

Leonardo always had this grand ambition of walking right up to the counter, face impassive, and asking the brunet if he wanted to have coffee some time. In the two months that he had _not _been a stalker, this had not yet happened.

As if drawn to it, Leonardo always went straight to the clothes racks in the far end of the store, without even sparing a glace towards the counter. That day was no different. The clothing racks were ideal for _not_ stalking. They were tall, so he could easily hide behind them, but he also had a clear view of the counter from between the clothes.

Once he was securely in position, Leonardo allowed his eyes to wander over to the counter, but he didn't see the brunet standing there, like he usually was. Leonardo didn't frown, but he thought about it for a few seconds, his eyes wandering around the small charity shop for his intended target. It could have been that he was in the back for one reason or another, but the brunet usually left the back room open when he went in there. Today the back door was closed, so Leonardo dismissed the thought of him being back there.

He was still looking around when there was a soft tap on his shoulder, and Leonardo froze. Had he really been this careless? Leonardo schooled his features into their regularly impassive position, and turned his head around. Just as he had feared, the brunet that he came in to see, was smiling brightly back at him. Leonardo wasn't sure what exactly he could do in that instant, but try to remain as composed as he could.

The brunet's smile didn't waver. "Can I help you find something?"

Leonardo shook his head no, before deciding that he actually could speak, and answering with a curt, "No."

The brunet didn't droop, or seem at all put off by the answer. Instead, his smile stayed firmly in place, and he shrugged. "It's a shame we still don't have what you're looking for." His dark eyes shifted over to the clothing rack they were standing beside. "We got some nicer clothes from a charity the other day. I thought for sure that you'd find what you've been looking for there."

Leonardo blinked, noticed how the brunet's hair was a controlled mess, and how it always looked like a mess, and then blinked again. "What I'm looking for?" It was out of his mouth before Leonardo could rein it back in. He probably should have just gone along with it, but the revelation that his _not_ a crush had formed some sort of opinion about him, was sort of intriguing. Even if that so called opinion was an uninformed observation of what clothing he might be looking for.

The brunet shrugged again and looked back at him, square in the face, and Leonardo wondered if he was blushing, or if that was even a thing he did, he had a hard time placing what blushing felt like at that exact moment. "Yeah, you're always in here looking through the clothes. I figured you were a bargain hunter or something."

Leonardo thought about that response for a moment, and looked up at the brunet, before making a decision. "It is true that I haven't gotten what I keep coming back for." Leonardo admitted, wondering how the statement would be interpreted. If he had learned anything about his _not_ crush, it was that he was relatively dense. Any sane person would have gotten a little concerned if a strange person kept coming back to their store for two months for seemingly no reason, and never bought anything.

The brunet's smile widened at that. "What is it you're looking for then? I can give you a call or something if it comes in. That way, I can put it aside for you. Sometimes, things go pretty fast here!"

Again, Leonardo came to an impasse of what exactly he should say. He thought about a few of his options, before shaking his head. "I would like some coffee."

The brunet already had his mouth open, ready to answer, when it seemed to don on him what exactly Leonardo had said. Confusion blossomed on his face, and his mouth hung open in something Leonardo would call bewilderment. "Uh, we don't have any? There's a coffee shot across the-"

"With you. I want to have coffee, with you." He was nervous, very nervous, but Leonardo did his best not to let it show. He was usually very good at keeping his emotions in check, and not showing what he was actually thinking. He hoped that was working right then, because he needed this to go across right. He didn't need to look like some blushing school girl for goodness sake.

The look of confusion didn't leave the brunet's face. "I don't like coffee?"

"The coffee is negotiable."

The brunet still seemed confused. He tilted his head looked away, and then, as if by magic, the light seemed to come on, and he looked back over at Leonardo. "Oh! Oh okay! Uh, I like ice cream! I get off at 6."

Leonardo shook his head. "Six is a good time for dinner. Dinner first, and then ice cream after. I'll pay."

The brunet nodded, his dark eyes excited, and his smile making his face glow. "Then I'll drive!" Leonardo's first inclination was to protest in some way, because that beat up red truck was a mess, but when he actually thought about it, he didn't care. He was still sort of amazed that this had even happened at all, so he just nodded, and looked away. He felt hot in the face, he was probably blushing.

Then a hand was being thrust at him, and Leonardo blinked at the offending article before looking back up at the brunet. "My names Edward!"

Oh. Oh a name. Leonardo chided himself. He'd asked the guy out without even knowing his name. Somewhere, he felt like he should have been ashamed of that -and he probably was on some level- but he'd gotten what he wanted, so Leonardo far to contented to put up to much of a fuss. He reached over, and took Edwards hand in his, and gave it a good shake. He noted that the brunet's hands were larger than his.

"Leonardo. It's nice to meet you, Edward." The name felt right as he wrapped his tongue around it. Both of them lingering as the handshake petered off into holding hands.

As if realizing that's what they were doing, both of them grabbed their hands back, and looked away. Leonardo risked a look over at Edward again, and saw that a light blush had crossed his face, and he'd reached up to scratch at the side of his face. Leonardo wondered if it was a nervous tick. "Sorry" Leonardo offered lamely. He hadn't wanted to start this whole thing off with making them both feel awkward.

Edwards dark eyes widened, and he shook his hands emphatically. "No! No, don't apologize! I-I didn't- I mean- damn." As if to enforce what he'd said, Edward reached down and took Leonardo's hand in his again, and despite the fact that it was clammy, and sweaty, Leonardo found he didn't mind. "A-actually, I've been thinking about that too. Holding your hand. Thought it'd be nice..."

Leonardo blinked up at the brunet, not really believing what he was hearing. Slowly, he wrapped his hand around Edwards too, so that it wasn't only the brunet holding his hand either. "Maybe we just need practice." Leonardo suggested, tilting his head.

Edward seemed confused, before that smile was back, and he laughed. "Yeah, we'll practice then."

Leonardo smiled back, a soft, muted one, but a smile none the less. He had every intention of holding Edward to that.


End file.
